Leadership
2023-2024
Our Board Chair and Head of School
Dear Friends,
The theme of this year’s annual report, “Community of Giving and…” (and learners,
leaders, athletes, adventure, and so much more) grabbed our attention immediately because it speaks to the myriad paths and opportunities for students at Westridge all of which are made possible by the strength and engagement of our community.
Our community shares a commitment to our mission and values and to providing
the best possible education for each one of our students. We come together
through volunteering; attending student, parent, and alumnae events; supporting
families in need; and participating in the Westridge Annual Fund, which we report
on each year in our Report on Giving.
During the 2023-2024 school year, we exceeded our Westridge Annual Fund goal
and expanded giving over the prior year. Thank you to everyone who joined in the
fun of our first-ever Tiger Giving Days. The school received more than 150 gifts over
the two-day period in April.
Valerie Rubio Lemmon '92
Chair, Board of Trustees
Andrea Kassar
Head of School
A MESSAGE FROM
In addition to the Westridge Annual Fund, which supports the school’s annual operating budget, endowments continue to be a priority, and in our last fiscal year the Forever Fund for Financial Aid reached a major milestone of $1 million (its alumnae founders from the Class of 1969 say they are just getting started!). Parents and alumnae also contributed to special programs and projects, including a gift of $120,000 for the Upper School Science program and gifts to support the 310 Arlington property, the site of our next campus expansion.
We sat to write this letter in late October, just after Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang came to speak with faculty and parents on the link between emotions and deep learning. One of the things Dr. Immordino-Yang researches is the impact of social relationships and culture on learning and the brain. Learning is a social endeavor. This is something we intuitively understand but are now learning more about how this works on a neurological level. And the more we learn, the more we understand just how fortunate all of us are to be a part of our vibrant learning community at Westridge, and how fortunate our students are to have a community of supporters who understand we are all in this together.
Thank you for joining us in this community of friends united by our mission.
With gratitude,
Valerie Lemmon, Chair, Board of Trustees Andrea Kassar, Head of School
Board of Trustees
2023-2024
Valerie Rubio Lemmon ’92 – Board Chair
Mike Burke
Sigrid Burton ’69
Cathy Colloff
Akila Gibbs
Kirsten L. Hansen ’83
Marc S. Harris
Suzanne D. Icaza
Tina Li Kleindorfer
Richard B. Lord
Jim Lygopoulos
Donald L. Morgan, Ph.D.
John Scott Mulchaey, Ph.D.
Shahbano Nawaz ’98
Ismael Obregon
Daniel Prince
Khalid Rashid
Elizabeth Russell ’69
Vicki von Holzhausen ’90
Emily Ko Wang ’93
Teri Wilde ’69
Wendy Wu Iwata
Joseph J. Ybarra
Jessica Yang ’10 – Alumnae Board Chair
Alumnae Board
2023-2024
Jessica Yang ’10, Chair
Nicole Rabaudi ’90, Vice Chair
Kathryn Aposhian ’07
Taelor Bakewell ’11
Michelle Noble Barnett ’90
Zandie Brockett ’05
Liz Carlton ’03
Olivia Moore ’01
Thembisa Mshaka ’88
Cassandra Nufable ’12
Tanya Paz ’02
Marianne Van Vorst Ryan ’79
Melissa Wu ’94
Ellie Diop ’10
Alicia Henry ’01
Ann Hazeltine Hyde ’66
Caroline Sill King ’03
Julia Tyson La Grua ’71
Ashwini Lakshmanan ’97
2023-2024
Executive Committee
Allison Reed Dietrick ’93
President
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Audrey Huang
President-Elect
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Lisa Burke
Past President
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Alison Molinelli
Treasurer
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Stephanie Nava ’90
Assistant Treasurer
Vilma Livas
Secretary
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Sunyoung Fahimi
VP Communications
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Ellen Tsang
VP Upper School
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Angie Howard
VP Middle School
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Nanita Miller
VP Lower School
​Chitra Rajesh
VP Westridge Fund
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Erica Rosales
VP DEIJ
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Angela Rashid
Admissions Liaison